Anna RaderNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Jordan Giese is a political science major currently working on his bachelor's degree. He has lived in Wyoming all his life but has a focus on both local issues and international stories. He moved to Laramie just last year rediscovering Wyoming and all it has to offer in landspaces, opportunities and people. He has listened to WPR for years and is thrilled to contribute to an important state service and NPR. When he is not writing for WPR or his classes Jordan enjoys reading history, news from around the world and collecting typewriters. He hopes to remain in the state but also hopes to work for public radio in the future. NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Jordan Giese Thu, 08 Dec 2016 13:30:58 +0000Jordan Giese http://wyomingpublicmedia.org
Jordan Giese A U.S. Supreme Court decision this summer could affect health coverage for nearly 21,000 Wyoming residents. The court will decide if subsidies can be provided to low-income individuals in states that don’t have their own health insurance exchange under the Affordable Care Act. Wyoming is one of more than 30 states without its own insurance marketplace. Of the 21,000 citizens enrolled in a health care plan under the federal government run marketplace, 91% receive the premium tax credit, which on average pays for more than 70% of their monthly premiums. Wyoming Insurance Commissioner Tom Glause says the state has several options if the ruling kills the tax credit, including setting up its own exchange, but that could cost more than $8 million to build, and more than a million a year to maintain. But Glause says that’s not much compared to the loss of current subsidies. "I think you have to put into perspective though, if you do that math the average advanced tax premium credit is 400U.S. Supreme Court Case Could Affect Wyoming Healthcarehttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/us-supreme-court-case-could-affect-wyoming-healthcare
75081 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgThu, 14 May 2015 05:19:27 +0000U.S. Supreme Court Case Could Affect Wyoming HealthcareJordan Giese With oil's recent downturn, the industry is looking for new ways to get more oil out of the ground for less money and is financing research that could help it do that. Monday, the oil field services company Baker Hughes announced a one million dollar grant for the University of Wyoming. Researchers will use the money to study how to get more oil and gas out of unconventional reservoirs. Mark Northam is the director of UW’s School of Energy Resources. He says it will hopefully also bring down the costs of extraction. "We always look at cost. Technology that improves results is important, but technology that improves results that is cost effective is critical," says Northam. "There are lots of technologies that would allow us to get more oil out of the ground, but it would cost you more than the oil is worth." The state is matching the Baker Hughes grant dollar for dollar. New Baker Hughes Grant Announced For UW Researchhttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/new-baker-hughes-grant-announced-uw-research
74996 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgTue, 12 May 2015 17:29:03 +0000New Baker Hughes Grant Announced For UW ResearchJordan Giese Union Pacific Rail Road has announced its investing $51.5 million into Wyoming’s railroad infrastructure. $48 million of that is being spent directly on railroad tracks, with the rest going into signal systems and bridges. The money is part of a regular investment into the company’s railways, with $430 million being spent in Wyoming between 2010 and 2014. Mark Davis is the Union Pacific spokesman and says that money directly affects safety nationwide. "And what we’ve been able to determine is by heavily investing in your infrastructure, that helps in derailment prevention," says Davis. "And we were looking at the numbers and it looks like over the last ten years we’ve seen derailments decrease by 38 percent." Derailments of Union Pacific Trains in Wyoming are falling, from 27 in 2008 to just 7 in 2014. Union Pacific Invests Into Wyoming Infrastructurehttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/union-pacific-invests-wyoming-infrastructure
74934 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgMon, 11 May 2015 16:10:17 +0000Union Pacific Invests Into Wyoming InfrastructureJordan Giese Students at the University of Wyoming will hold a demonstration May 8th protesting Laramie’s lack of a glass recycling program. The students who organized the demonstration are part of a class called ‘Youth in Revolt’ that has been studying youth protest movements this semester. They will be gathering signatures for a petition asking the city to start recycling glass again. Laramie lost its glass recycling two years ago, when ARK regional services cut the program citing high costs. The University of Wyoming closed its own glass recycling program shortly after. Megan Dudenhoeffer is a student in the class. She says students tried to petition the Laramie City Council last year to restart the program, but were unsuccessful. "I don’t think they got very far with it," says Dudenhoeffer. "As with most things you take to the city council it’s all about money. So the main point was just to show there was support and students probably would be willing to pay the extra fee for glass recycling."UW Students To Demonstrate For Glass Recyclinghttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/uw-students-demonstrate-glass-recycling
74830 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgFri, 08 May 2015 16:23:01 +0000UW Students To Demonstrate For Glass RecyclingJordan Giese Last week, WyoTech in Laramie laid off more than 40 employees. WyoTech and its parent company, Zenith, declined to comment on the layoffs, but cited falling enrollment in a press release Wednesday. They said there would be about a 30% reduction of staff at the Laramie campus. Dan Furphy is the President and CEO of the Albany County Chamber of Commerce. He says he’s seen enrollment ebb and flow before, but never such a large layoff. “40 jobs in our community is significant, and we will probably feel the impact," says Furphy. "I’m hoping that based upon what’s happened to WyoTech in the past, that it is temporary.” Furphy also says the decision may be in response to low enrollment right now due to bad press surrounding the college’s former owners, Corinthian Colleges. Corinthian sold the school in February after the department of education accused it of falsifying job placement data. WyoTech Lays Off Third Of Staffhttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/wyotech-lays-third-staff
74665 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgTue, 05 May 2015 02:27:34 +0000WyoTech Lays Off Third Of StaffJordan Giese Hillary Clinton’s campaign recently announced it will begin organizing in Wyoming. The move is part of the campaign’s goal to bring grassroots campaigning to all states before the 2016 presidential election. Clinton is the only presidential hopeful with a presence in Wyoming so far. The campaign has hired Laramie local Peter Bishop, who previously worked on Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. Aimee Van Cleave is the Wyoming Democratic Party’s Interim Executive Director. She says Hillary’s campaign is getting off to an early start. "One of the things I can appreciate most about her campaign is that we’re seeing presence in Wyoming this early," says Van Cleave. "Something that we haven’t seen from other presidential elections. That we have someone on the ground, who’s already beginning to work and organize, setting up house meetings and recruiting volunteers. So this is happening now. Clinton is currently only one of candidates in the Democratic presidential primary: the other is VermontClinton Campaign Begins Organizing In Wyominghttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/clinton-campaign-begins-organizing-wyoming
74628 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgMon, 04 May 2015 15:51:45 +0000Clinton Campaign Begins Organizing In WyomingJordan Giese Several Albany County schools were closed Tuesday due to an early morning power outage. The University of Wyoming Lab School, Slade Elementary, the Laramie Montessori School, and Laramie High School all canceled because of the lack of power. ACT testing at Laramie High School that was planned for today has been postponed to a later date. More than seven thousand customers in Laramie lost power. David Eskelsen is a Rocky Mountain Power spokesperson, and says the cause of the outage wasn’t weather related. "At 2 A.M we had a bird get into the substation at Laramie. That caused protective devices to activate on the main transformer. That cut power to 7,600 customers in Laramie." Rocky Mountain Power says the outage occurred around 2 in the morning. Power was not fully restored until 9:30 a.m. No more outages are expected at this time. Power Outage In Laramie Cancels Classeshttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/power-outage-laramie-cancels-classes
74366 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgTue, 28 Apr 2015 21:28:58 +0000Power Outage In Laramie Cancels ClassesJordan Giese The University Of Wyoming Board Of Trustees has formed a committee that will figure out how to conduct the search for the next UW president. The decision comes less than two weeks after current President Dick McGinity announced he will be resigning in June of 2016. The board was criticized for holding a closed search when it hired Bob Sternberg who resigned after just a few months on the job. Laramie Trustee Mike Massie will serve on the committee. He says they want input on how a search should be conducted, and what kind of candidates the board should target. “What do they envision as being the qualities of the next president," asks Massie. "As they think about who this person is, is it a sixty year old man? Is it a mid-career woman? Is it someone who has specific background and experiences?” The Committee will be holding two public forums on May 4th for members of the public and the campus community. Massie says citizens can also comment online at the university’s website until MayNew UW President Search To Include Publichttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/new-uw-president-search-include-public
74304 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgMon, 27 Apr 2015 21:41:24 +0000New UW President Search To Include PublicJordan Giese Researchers with the University of Utah have discovered a large magma reservoir underneath the Yellowstone National Park caldera. In a report released Thursday, they say the new area lies 12 miles underground, below a shallower well-known magma chamber. Researcher Robert Smith is a co-author of the study and says his team used a geologic CT scan to discover the reservoir that’s filled with a mass of hot porous rock, rather than the typical magma. He says the new finding solves a puzzle of the Yellowstone volcano system. "So what we have for the first time is a complete picture of the magma coming from deep in the earth’s mantle a thousand kilometers deep, all the way to the earth’s surface. And that magma system feeds of course the hydrothermal system of Yellowstone, the geysers and hot springs." Smith says the giant reservoir doesn’t mean there’s a greater threat of an eruption, which last happened 630,000 years ago. Study Finds New Magma Reservoir Under Yellowstonehttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/study-finds-new-magma-reservoir-under-yellowstone
74293 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgMon, 27 Apr 2015 19:18:30 +0000Study Finds New Magma Reservoir Under YellowstoneJordan Giese Wyoming marijuana advocates filed a petition to put an initiative to legalize medical marijuana on the 2016 ballot. The Wyoming chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws filed the paperwork with the secretary of state’s office on Monday. The group will have to collect more than 25,000 signatures by February 8th to get the initiative on the ballot. To become law, the initiative would have to be approved by a majority of Wyoming voters. A University of Wyoming poll last year found that 72% of Wyomingites support medical marijuana in the state. Jim King is a professor of Political Science at U.W. and conducted the poll. He says while support for medical marijuana may look overwhelming in Wyoming, that doesn’t directly translate into votes. "And because ballot proposals, whether it’s a constitutional amendment or an initiative proposal appears at the end of the ballot there are a lot of people who go in, they’ll vote for president, they’ll vote for U.S.Advocates Petition For 2016 Medical Marijuana Votehttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/advocates-petition-2016-medical-marijuana-vote
74135 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgThu, 23 Apr 2015 16:06:31 +0000Advocates Petition For 2016 Medical Marijuana VoteJordan Giese Judges and attorneys are concerned about how to prosecute possession of edible marijuana products in Wyoming. Under current law, the entire edible, like a cookie or a lollipop is weighed and those in possession of more than three ounces of any marijuana-infused product can be charged with a felony The Legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee is tackling the issue over several meetings after hearing concerns during the last legislative session. Senator Leland Christensen chairs that committee and says the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act is too vague on edibles. "In this case, when we’re starting to talk about what may be in a baked good, are we sure we want to charge for butter and flour and things like that? By today’s definition we would, so those are all issues that are going to get fleshed out as the conversation goes forward." The problem is that it is difficult to determine exactly how much marijuana is in any given edible product without very expensive equipment. ChristensenMarijuana Infused Edibles Pose Problem for Prosecutionhttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/marijuana-infused-edibles-pose-problem-prosecution
74032 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgTue, 21 Apr 2015 20:28:14 +0000Marijuana Infused Edibles Pose Problem for ProsecutionJordan Giese Casper College has selected Dr. Darren Divine as its new president. The College’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously for Divine out of four finalists. The school’s current president Walter Nolte will be retiring at the end of June after eleven years in the job. Devine is currently is Vice President for academic affairs at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. He says he has a background in agriculture, and that should be a good fit for the college. “I’m very familiar, more importantly I think very comfortable with the range part of wildlife management and range management, agricultural production. My father spent his entire career in the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and so that’s just a very comfortable place for me to end up at.” Divine also says one of his first projects will be completing the new Ranch Campus for Casper College, which will provide extra space for the Agriculture Program. Casper College Selects New Presidenthttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/casper-college-selects-new-president
74030 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgTue, 21 Apr 2015 20:22:25 +0000Casper College Selects New PresidentJordan Giese The Wyoming Department of Education is asking Wyoming teachers, parents and science professionals to serve on a Science Standards Review Committee. A survey will be open until April 22 for citizens to express interest. The committee will form science standards for Wyoming students, a process that was restarted by the State Board of Education after lawmakers voted this session to allow the Next Generation Science Standards to be considered. Last year, a committee of science educators unanimously recommended the Next Generation Science Standards to the Board, but lawmakers blocked those standards because they acknowledged human-driven climate change. Department spokesperson Kari Eakins says The Board of Education changed the makeup of the committee after some complaints. "They heard from people who work in the classroom, people who have kids in the classroom, people who are trying to hire people into their workforce that they wanted there to be a good chance for people from varyingDepartment Of Education Looking For Science Committee Membershttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/department-education-looking-science-committee-members
74022 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgTue, 21 Apr 2015 19:05:13 +0000Department Of Education Looking For Science Committee MembersJordan Giese A University of Wyoming Faculty Senate Survey says the school has pressing systemic problems with leadership and hiring practices. Edward Janak is the chair of the UW faculty Senate. He says more faculty need to step up to voice concerns and faculty input into university decisions need to be taken more seriously by administrators. He also says the upcoming presidential search is a key concern. "Now that President McGinity has made it very clear and the Board of Trustees have made it clear, yes we are going to be engaging in this search. There’s going to be a lot of faculty with a lot of questions about that. So I think making that process as open as possible and well communicated as possible is absolutely essential." Janak says adding a faculty senate member to serve on the Board of Trustees would help address many of the issues. Faculty Senate Describes Systemic Problems At University Of Wyominghttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/faculty-senate-describes-systemic-problems-university-wyoming
73963 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgMon, 20 Apr 2015 17:22:59 +0000Faculty Senate Describes Systemic Problems At University Of WyomingJordan Giese The Wyoming Department of Health is reporting its deadliest flu season in at least 15 years. Since the current flu season began in October, 26 people have died of flu in the state. That’s out a total 5,000 cases of the illness, according to the Department. Cases are still being reported, as the season typically ends in May. Kim Deti says the Department only has records on flu seasons back to 2000. "Since then we’ve had a range of deaths per season ranging from say 2-14 with an average of 6.5 so to see 26 influenza related deaths in a season definitely stands out for us," says Deti. Deti says the flu season was particularly rough nationwide since one of the major flu strains changed after a vaccine was developed. Wyoming Experiences Worst Flu Season On Recordhttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/wyoming-experiences-worst-flu-season-record
73743 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgWed, 15 Apr 2015 15:54:40 +0000Wyoming Experiences Worst Flu Season On RecordJordan Giese Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has donated $30 million to a Sierra Club campaign that aims to close half of the nation’s coal-fired power plants by 2017. There are currently just over 500 coal-fired power plants in the US, including 13 in Wyoming. Those supply 90% of the state's power. Connie Wilbert is with the Sierra Club of Wyoming. She says while the campaign hopes to see some of state’s coal power shuttered, there are challenges in Wyoming. "We aren’t looking on a state by state basis and saying half of the plants in every state are targeted to meet our overall national goals. We do recognize that Wyoming is in a fairly unique position in terms of how dependent it is right now on fossil fuels and particularly coal." Wilbert also says the campaign has resulted in the closure of about 200 coal fired power plants across the United States. Sierra Club Gets Major Donation to Anti Coal Power Campaignhttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/sierra-club-gets-major-donation-anti-coal-power-campaign
73643 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgMon, 13 Apr 2015 16:37:44 +0000Sierra Club Gets Major Donation to Anti Coal Power CampaignJordan Giese A report of a stolen vehicle led the Wyoming Highway Patrol to make a drug bust Tuesday in Casper. The Highway Patrol says Hertz Rental Company contacted them about a stolen vehicle in the Casper area at nine Tuesday morning. The Patrol located the vehicle at a Pawn shop in Casper. Lieutenant Kleif Guenther with the Highway Patrol says two individuals, Jason Latoskie and Sherry Mehring were arrested and charged with drug possession. “Exact type of narcotics or illegal substances found in the vehicle and how much is yet to be determined and is under investigation," says Guenther. "But both subjects were also being charged with possession of those narcotics.” Mehring and Latoskie both had warrants for their arrest in Wyoming. Stolen Vehicle Leads to Highway Patrol Drug Busthttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/stolen-vehicle-leads-highway-patrol-drug-bust
73457 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgThu, 09 Apr 2015 06:18:47 +0000Stolen Vehicle Leads to Highway Patrol Drug BustJordan Giese Wyoming has half the snowpack it did at this time that year. That’s according to a report from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The state had an average 135% snowpack level in March of 2014, but this March had only a 70% average. The Sweetwater and Belle Fourche saw its lowest levels of snowpack since record-keeping began. Daryl Lee Hackleman is the Water Supply Specialist with the Service’s Wyoming office. He says while the year started out strong, snow just didn’t come. “Well basically since the first of March we haven’t been getting anything," says Hackleman. "We’ve been getting nice warm weather and everybody likes to go outside and thinks it’s wonderful, but it’s not conducive to any snowpack.” Hackleman also says that winter snow accumulation is important in the summer, and less snowpack means less water later in the season. Snowpack Levels In Wyoming Only Half Of 2014http://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/snowpack-levels-wyoming-only-half-2014
73385 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgTue, 07 Apr 2015 21:13:53 +0000Snowpack Levels In Wyoming Only Half Of 2014Jordan Giese Wyoming’s snowpack is disappearing more than two weeks earlier than it used to. That’s according to NASA, which just wrapped up a study looking at the years 1972 through 2013. The study focused on the Wind River Range and concluded that snowpack is melting 16 days earlier than it did through the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Dorothy Hall is a senior scientist with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and was one of the authors of the study. She says less snowpack can put a strain on resources in the West. "The snowmelt completion may be earlier and therefore there’s less water available for human use or agricultural use later in the summer," says Hall. "Because the more snow you have, the longer the snowmelt period will go on, so it does impact the water resources available in Wyoming." Hall also says drought combined with warmer night time temperatures are likely to blame for less snowpack in recent years. Snowpack In Wyoming Melting Earlierhttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/snowpack-wyoming-melting-earlier
73214 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgFri, 03 Apr 2015 18:00:40 +0000Snowpack In Wyoming Melting EarlierJordan Giese U.S. Senator John Barrasso will be chairing a congressional hearing on the Wind River Reservation at the end of March that will bring tribal officials and law enforcement together to testify on drugs use on the reservation and different methods to curb use. The Wind River Reservation was one of four reservations chosen for a law enforcement surge pilot program in 2010 and 2012 to combat substance abuse and violent crime. Barrasso says the hearing was called to find out if it was the surge or some other factors that helped curb crime. "From a standpoint of violent crime the numbers are down, from the standpoint of homicides the numbers are significantly down," says Barrasso. "All in this four year period and we want to see how much of that is related to the program that has been in place, what other factors have been incorporated into those successes and then how can we translate these successes to other reservations around the country." The hearing will take place March 31st at theSenator Barrasso To Chair Reservation Drug Hearinghttp://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/senator-barrasso-chair-reservation-drug-hearing
72962 as http://wyomingpublicmedia.orgSun, 29 Mar 2015 20:38:44 +0000Senator Barrasso To Chair Reservation Drug Hearing